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Another group of South Africans who had returned from abroad apparently went astray with the facilities where they had to spend their quarantine period.
The group of 12 people who returned from Botswana on July 11 were brought to a guest house in Mahikeng, North West, according to the DA, which apparently did not meet the criteria.
They were rushed to a lodge in Pilanesberg after the DA pointed out the unhygienic conditions in the guest house to the health department.
The guest house was apparently dirty, there were no curtains in the rooms, no light bulbs in the bedside lamps, the linen was dirty and the beds unmade.
On top of that, there were apparently bugs in, among other things, the kitchen, the bathrooms were dirty and the food was ice cold. The people also complained that the food was served to them without cutlery.
The excuse was that the guest house was not informed in advance of their arrival and there was not enough time to buy the necessary cutlery, said Madeleine Hickin, a DA MP, in a statement.
She says it is not known why the guest house in Mahikeng was not prepared for the group’s arrival.
All quarantine facilities in the country are identified by the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure and then recommended to the Department of Health for evaluation and approval.
“With the large number of South Africans expected back from Mozambique and eSwatini (Swaziland) this weekend, the DA will be ready to ensure that the rights of South African citizens are not trampled on at the quarantine facilities,” said Hickin.
There have been several complaints about poor quarantine facilities since the government declared the national state of restraint on March 23 and closed the country’s borders due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
A spokesperson for the department of public works and infrastructure said the department did not comment on statements from political parties.
